Jury deliberates in trial of man accused of killing Beaverton teen

Updated July 19, 2018 at 6:25 PM;Posted July 19, 2018 at 4:15 PM

Meechaiel Criner, accused of killing a college freshman from Portland in April 2016, is escorted into the courtroom. Criner, a 17-year-old foster care runaway at the time of the killing, is on trial for capital murder. He faces a sentence of life in prison if convicted. (Ricardo Brazziell / Austin American-Statesman)

AUSTIN, Texas — The jury is deliberating in the capital murder trial of a 20-year-old man accused in the slaying of a Beaverton high school graduate on the University of Texas campus in 2016.

The jury began deliberations Thursday in the trial of Meechaiel Criner, who was a 17-year-old foster care runaway at the time of the killing but did not reach a verdict by day's end. Criner faces a sentence of life in prison if convicted.

Haruka Weiser, an 18-year-old dance major from the Portland area, was walking to her dormitory after a rehearsal when she was strangled and sexually assaulted. The freshman had graduated from Beaverton's Arts & Communication magnet school.

Criner took the stand and denied killing her. He said the night Weiser was killed he'd gone to a hospital to charge his cellphone and tablet and then slept in a vacant building.

Prosecutors say eyeglasses found at the crime scene match glasses worn by Criner.

The trial ran for almost two weeks and closing arguments lasted four hours. Texas juries must reach a unanimous decision to convict a person or find him not guilty. If Criner is found guilty, he would not be eligible for the death penalty because he was younger than 18 when Weiser died.